Connecting people throughout the region from the coast through the valleys is the one of the key objectives for the Women of Regional Development Australia. We find out more …

What is Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast?

Regional Development Australia (RDA) is a partnership between the Australian, State and Local Governments to develop and strengthen the regional communities of Australia. RDA Mid North Coast is a not for profit Incorporated Association that operates in the dynamic environment of the local government areas of Greater Taree, Port Macquarie/Hastings, Kempsey, Nambucca, Bellingen, Coffs Harbour and Lord Howe Island.

A key role of the RDA is to act as a conduit between business/community and government to ensure that government is responsive to local needs and priorities. RDA Mid North Coast has three principle objectives including ‘Connecting People, Coast and Valleys’ to broker and facilitate the development of the region connecting via partnership with stakeholders.

How will the Mid North Coast become more competitive in 2013?

RDA Mid North Coast has been at the vanguard for advocacy and promotion of High Speed Broadband and the value of NBN Co, producing Australia’s first Regional Digital Strategy. The roll out of the NBN in Coffs and across the region is a game changing opportunity for regional Australia. Coffs Harbour is currently in the process of the fibre rollout with Taree soon to follow. The exciting news for the region is that Fixed Wireless & Satellite will service nearly 22% of the region to be fully operational by the end of 2013.

We are providing information to Councils, Business and the community through our “Broadband Toolkit” on line through our website (www.radmidnorthcoast.org.au). RDA Mid North Coast is the producer for the major expo in Coffs Harbour, T.H.E (Technology-Heath-Education) Exchange Expo & Seminar program. This year T.H.E Exchange will be rolled out as a Road-show in each of the local government areas and will complement the Digital Champions project where we are looking for individuals to promote their digital broadband experience to their community. T.H.E Exchange will be in each of the council areas in July – be prepared for the digital revolution.

How do we identify and communicate the key issues for the Mid North Coast?

Our purpose is to develop and facilitate industry in our region and it is up to all of us to be competitive in the current economic climate. RDA Mid North Coast utilises five tools to ensure relevance these include: Research, Communication, Facilitation, Alignment and Leadership.

One of our most important tools we have is research. Government and industry are constantly producing quality data relevant to our region. However the most important consideration for RDA Mid North Coast is to interpret that research and identify implications that may benefit or impact industry and/or our community.

RDA Mid North Coast in partnership with the La Trobe University commercialised Regional Economic Modelling & Planning tool (REMPLAN); has developed a free ‘Regional Digital App’ on its website (www.radmidnorthcoast.org.au). The App is free and provides research data on up to 19 industry categories and compares any of the 6 LGAs with the whole region and NSW. We encourage everyone to become familiar with the RDA/REMPLAN ‘Regional Data App’. While the app is simple to use, in the coming months we will be providing free seminars to Business Chambers and economic, social and environmental organisation on how to best exploit the data – contact RDA Mid North Coast for further details.

How do you communicate the key issues and achievements for the Mid North Coast?

RDA Mid North Coast’s website (www.radmidnorthcoast.org.au) has become a portal for information on Industry, Community and Government. A cornerstone of our communications strategy, the site is a model for other RDAs around Australia, carrying information from the Broadband Toolkit, Grant Links & other Resources. In addition, the site offers details of RDA MNC services, including the Regional Migration Scheme (RMS) and other Federal programs such as the Regional Development Australia Fund.

RDA MNC recently audited its Web Traffic for the last year identifying over 25,000 unique URL visits. More significantly though was that 39% of those were return visitors and that the average time of the site was over 3.5 minutes per visitor.

In summary

RDA Mid North Coasts Board and Staff are pleased to contribute to the FOCUS “Women in Business” supplement and we thank the women involved in our region for their leadership to our objective: ‘Connecting our products, services and capacity to our neighbours, our nation and the world’.